Visitor and External Speaker Policy

Control of document

Adult Community Learning Senior Leadership Team

Policy aims and intentions

To ensure the safety and security of visitors, external speakers, ACL Essex employees, learners and premises

Responsibility Group

ACL Senior Leadership Team

Policy Writer

Vice Principal Quality and Compliance

Date of acceptance

October 2020

Last review date   

September 2023

Next review date   

September 2024

Audience    

All staff, learners and visitors. It applies to all events and classes on ACL Essex premises, as well as any sub-contracted, affiliated, funded or branded event held off-site.

Stored location     

All policies to be stored on ComEd Pool/Policies and Strategies.  All policies intended for learners to be available on the VLE within ACL Policies (Learners).  All policies intended for tutors and staff to be available on the VLE within ACL Policies (Staff)

The Policy

An external speaker/visitor is any individual who is not an employee of ACL Essex and who is invited to participate in a planned ACL event or class by a member of ACL staff.

A visitor is any individual who is invited to participate in an ACL event or class by a member of ACL staff.  This may include: family, friends, prospective learners or their supporters, other professionals observing learners (e.g. Speech Therapists), assessors, tutors from other organisations, and additional support staff attending for training purposes

We have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our staff and learners.  Following the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, this includes the need for robust policies and procedures in place to mitigate the risks of people being drawn into terrorism. This includes making sure that risk around visitors, external speakers and events are rigorously assessed and managed.

Method of Implementation

Anyone inviting a visitor or external speaker to an ACL Essex event must follow the Visitor and External Speaker Booking Process detailed below.

Line Managers have overall responsibility for visitors who enter the areas they manage. It is a management responsibility to ensure that this procedure is fully complied with and that any problems have been adequately resolved at the earliest opportunity and before visitors are permitted to proceed with their intended activity.

Visitor and External Speaker Booking Process

  • Prior to confirmation of any visitor/external speaker, the event organiser will be responsible for completing a Visitor and External Speaker booking form and having it approved by their line manager. Appendix A.
  • If the answer to any of the questions is unclear further guidance should be given by the Senior Safeguarding Officer, whose responsibility it will be to further review the speaker/visitor.
  • On approval the event organiser will send the external speaker/visitor a confirmation letter, including the Visitor and External Speaker Code of Conduct (see below) and inform the Senior Safeguarding Officer (or in their absence the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)) and relevant curriculum and learning manager.
  • All communication with visitors/external speakers should be through ECC phone numbers/email/addresses. ACL Essex staff should not provide personal contact details to visitors/external speakers. 
  • Reception should be advised in advanced of any visitors that are expected.

Visitor and External Speakers Code of Conduct

This code of conduct exists to ensure that all visitors/external speakers taking part in an ACL Essex hosted or run event or activity, on site or elsewhere, act in accordance with the ACL Essex Visitor and External Speaker Policy.

It is the responsibility of the event or activity organiser from within ACL Essex to ensure that:

  • this Code of Conduct is communicated to all visitors/external speakers
  • that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the requirements within it are upheld during the running of the event or activity.

ACL Essex expects visitors/external speakers to act in accordance with the law and not to breach the lawful rights of others.  ACL Essex reserves the right to not permit a visitor/external speaker to speak at or attend an event, to refuse to permit an event and/or to halt an event at any time if it reasonably considers there may be a breach of the Visitor and External Speaker Policy or of any legal obligation.

During the course of the event at which the visitor/external speaker participates, no speaker shall:

  • Act in breach of the criminal law.
  • Incite hatred or violence or any breach of the criminal law.
  • Encourage or promote any acts of terrorism or promote individuals, groups or organisations that support terrorism.
  • Spread hatred or intolerance.
  • Discriminate against or harass any person or group on the grounds of their sex, race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religious or other similar belief, sexual orientation or age.
  • Defame any person or organisation.
  • Raise or gather funds for any external organisation or cause without express permission of the ACL Essex.
  • Make notes relating to ECC staff or learners without prior agreement
  • Take photographs or video clips without agreement
  • Pass on any information about individuals to external sources

General Requirements

  • All presentations to be shown by a visitor/external speaker should be sent in advance of the event for approval.
  • All visitors/speakers must sign in at reception and wear their identity badge at all times whilst on site.
  • All staff should take responsibility for challenging an individual not wearing a badge.
  • Where possible, the front desk will notify the event organiser of the visitor or speaker’s arrival. The organiser must arrange to collect the visitor or speaker.
  • All external visitors/speakers must be accompanied or supervised by the event organiser at all times whilst on site.
  • The visitor badge must be returned to the front desk at the end of the visit and the visitor/external speaker should sign out.
  • Visitors/external speakers attending site for more than one day must sign in and sign out each day.
  • In the event of a fire or other emergency, the speaker should be accompanied by the event organiser
  • No responsibility can be accepted by ACL Essex for any loss or damage to vehicles and / or property whilst on site.
  • ACL Essex operates a smoking policy in all of its sites and in all work areas.
  • External speakers/visitors using own equipment must ensure it has been PAT tested
  • External speakers/Visitors must only use online websites that comply with ACL Filtering and Monitoring and Computer Use Policies

Monitoring and Evaluating the Policy

All approved referrals to be included within course files and reviewed as part of the ACL Essex Class Visit process.  A record of all external speakers/visitors will be maintained by the Safeguarding and EDI Senior Officer.  A copy of the form to be shared with front line to thread to the course

Associated Policies

Prevent Policy

Safeguarding Policy

Health and Safety Policy

ECC Visitor and Security Policy https://intranet.essex.gov.uk/Documents/HSP_9.11_Visitor_and_Security_Policy_V3.0_Dec21.docx

Appendix A

Visitor/External speaker referral submission form

Part 1: Event/class Organiser details:
Name
Job Title:
Contact details (tel no. and email)

 

Part 2: Proposed event/class details:           
Proposed event/class title including course code if applicable:
Proposed event/class date/s :
Venue:
Description (including event format):
Target audience (profile and size).  If appropriate
Proposed Visitor/External Speaker(s): Please inc. links to biographical information if possible.

 

Has the speaker previously visited ACL Essex? Yes/No

 

Is the visitor supporting a learner?  Yes/No

 

Name of learner:

 

Name of class/event being attended.

 

Has the speaker/visitor previously been prevented from speaking at ACL Essex or similar establishment? Yes/No

 

Does the proposed title or theme of the event or present of the visitor present a potential risk that views/opinions expressed may be in breach of the External Speaker Policy for ACL Essex? Yes/No

 

Any other details?

 

 

When complete, please save and submit to your line manager and the Safeguarding and EDI Senior Officer (aclsafeguarding@essex.gov.uk)  as an email attachment for approval.

If you require this document in any other format, please email jaimie.huckfield@essex.gov.uk stating the document name in full and the format you need.